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Puritan Life
Puritan Apparel General Trends: The clothing of the previous era was heavily influenced by the reign of Queen Elizabeth in England who reigned from 1558-1603. The characteristics of these clothes were centered around the elaborate decorum of the time and featured intricate designs and were extremely stiff and uncomfortable. Multiple layers were worn and usually all parts of the body were covered with the exception of the hands and face. Jewels and various other precious metals were frequently worn as well. During the mid 17th century, clothing became less complex and favored simplicity in both color and design.The fit of clothing generally became looser and solid colored clothing became more typical. This trend was even more extreme in the Puritan communities in America, whose conservative nature advocated a humble and plain appearance. Not everything about the Puritan wardrobe was blaze however, although the cuts and designs of clothing were standard among them, Puritans did not only wear black but also dressed in dark and somber blues, scarlets, purples, and greens. Men’s Clothing There was a very standard look for men at this time that did not waver much between professions . Men typically wore plain black shoes with breeches and white or black shirts forming the base of their outfits. Many men also would wear jackets, coats, or capes. A popular type of jacket-like apparel at the time was a doublet. Doublets had been popularized during Renaissance times and were usually tight fitting, colorful and padded. The doublets worn by the Puritans were flatter, looser fitting, and duller in color, typically being black or dark brown. Over the doublet a jerkin or tight fitting, sleeveless and collarless jacket may have been worn. The jerkins worn by the Puritan men were also a modified version of the older, more colorful and tight fitting version. Shirts were typically adorned with white cuffs and stocking and boots where typical. Black or brown hats with an extremely wide brim and decorated only with a single buckle were a defining accessory for Puritan men. Men grew their hair longer than in earlier times and breads and mustaches were kept shorter than in the past. Women’s clothing: Began with an undergarment that resembled a shirt called a shift. Shifts were usually loose fitting and usually featured a pocket on the side. They were usually black and grey but sometimes were also blue, green, or scarlet. On top of the shift, a fitted jacket could have been worn with a long skirt or a dress. Women cut the sides of their hair shorter and sometimes curled the sides so that they could stick out our their bonnets or hats Their hair was frequently worn in a bun over which a bonnet or hat or both was worn. A major contrast to earlier times was that women’s dresses and shirts began to have sleeves cut to the elbow. The end of the sleeve was usually decorated with ruffles or lace and was typically white to contrast with the darker colors that dresses and shirts usually came in. Dresses and shirts were cut a little lower than in earlier times, but a collar made of lace would be worn to cover the breasts and neck area. Women very infrequently wore any type of jewelry except during special occasions where they would wear ringlets or pearls to decorate their hair. Homes: The first model of a standard home in Puritan America was composed of one room and made mostly of mud and straw. The roofs of these homes were typically thatched, meaning that they were made of straw or some other dried vegetation. The vegetation was set in layers at an angle in order to encourage rain to flow downward and away from the house. Puritan houses were almost exclusively one story until the mid 1600s, around the setting of the Scarlet Letter, when two story homes also began to appear. Housing was an incredibly important aspect of daily life for Puritans. Aside from the practical purpose of providing shelter, housing also was a sign that the Puritans were civilized and Christian. This helped them define themselves as a unique group within the country and helped them contrast themselves with the heretic Native Americans who also resided in the country. With further advancements in Puritan settlements, houses began to be composed of wood which became a defining architectural aspect of the area as it contrasted with the stone homes of England. The typical house model became known as a Vineyard home which meant that it featured a back kitchen area. Pantries also began to appear in the Vineyard model as well as a general expansion to the back kitchen area to provide a larger work and child rearing space. Puritans were very conscious of the positioning of their houses and usually built their homes so that they faced the south to take advantage of the sun’s heat during the winter months. This was advantageous because it ensured the the front rooms were people slept would be exposed to more sunlight for a longer period of time, and also would keep the kitchen and pantry area cooler. Puritans during this period did not paint their houses and painting one’s house did not become common until about two centuries later in the 1800s. Another important addition with the further advancement of housing was the borning room. This room provided a space to keep a baby or infant that was close to the kitchen. Since the mother spent a lot of her time in the kitchen, this gave her quick access to her infant. Keeping the baby in a separate room from the kitchen also had its advantages because it protected the baby from dangerous kitchen tools and away from the stove or fire. The last major defining aspect of Puritan housing and architecture were fences. Fences served an important part of Puritan housing because they served as borders to help organize society in what the Puritans saw as a disorganized and chaotic wilderness. Fences were used to designate specific spaces for specialized buildings like churches but also helped to divide crops and isolate cattle and other animals in order to keep village conditions sanitary and tidy. By keeping cattle in an enclosed area, people could attend to other chores without having to worry about the cattle running off or destroying important crops. Fences were usually made of stone or wood and could serve as an important border between the safety of Puritan society and the forest, which was often associated with evil and temptation. Fences were also important because they helped the Puritans define themselves as civilized and provided a feeling of ownership over a piece of land. It was not an uncommon belief for Puritans to think that Native Americans did not truly own the land they inhabited because they did not fence any of it off. Food The first Thanksgiving was celebrated about twenty years before the setting of The Scarlet Letter but was not the rose colored feast with the Indians that contemporary culture portrays. The original Thanksgiving was actually a modification of a series of days were Puritans would fast for religious purposes and celebrate the autumn harvest by making a big feast after the fasting. Eventually, governors of each colony would continue the Puritan tradition by celebrating the harvest every autumn. The popularized feast between the Indians and the Pilgrims was not popularized until after the wars between the Indians and European settlers at the end of the 19th century. Even when the Thanksgiving feast between the two conflicting groups became set into American culture, everyone knew the reality between Native Americans and English settlers was characterized by fighting and bloodshed and not harmonious relations. The colonists brought some crops with them that were some-what successful. They also heavily relied on fish, game, and they did raise livestock. Whatever was local or in season would provide the bulk of whatever was eaten at that time. Northeast American streams featured a variety of fish species like cod,sturgen, mackerel, herring and salmon. From their livestock, pork products like bacon, poultry and small fowls, veal and game from local forests were often featured in the diet. During the mid 1600s, the Puritans already had a fully functioning a elaborate crop system that provided an abundance of produce. This along with different produce like berries for instance, that grew in the wild, provided a varied diet. The common staples and produce items during this time were: “barley, beans, Indian beans, bran, cabbages, carrots, chaff, corn, English corn, hops, Indian meal, rye meal, oatmeal, oats, parsnips, peas, pumpkins, rye, squashes, turnips, and wheat. Apples, berries, fruit, honey, raisins, sugar, and vinegar. Biscuit, bread, cake, malt, salad oil, porridge, rye, malt, yeast, salt, and many kinds of spices. Cookies and cakes were popular and fruits and meat were dried so that they could be enjoyed all year. Pickling was also a common preservation method. Most recipes were based on” Robert May's 1685 and Gervase Markham's English Huswife 1615.” Popular meals in these cook books included: “ Soups, stews, fresh roasts, preserved meats (bacon, ham, salt pork) salads, breads/biscuits, puddings/pies (sweet and savory), cakes/cookies were all common items. Fruits and vegetables were served fresh or preserved (dried, pickled).” Category:Puritans jewelry